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Workshops Educate, Enlighten & Entertain Attendees
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In 2009, over 600 retailers converged on the Baltimore Convention Center for the Summit. Bringing together some of the specialty market’s leading retailers, vendors, creators and distributors, the Summit gave storeowners an opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best – namely, each other – at the Summit Better Retailing Workshops.
An integral part of what makes the Summit an invaluable experience for attendees is the Better Retailing Workshop programming. These approximately hour-long panels provided storeowners with informative and entertaining discussions of issues relating to retailing in the comic and game industries, spearheaded by veterans and visionaries from behind the specialty shop counter.
Beginning on Sunday, October 11 with dedicated Games Programming & demos and aComicSuite Users Conference, the Summit Workshops offered advice and information from retailers, suppliers and Diamond & Alliance staff members on a wide variety of industry-specific topics.
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Workshops and Presenters Included:
• Brendan Boyle (Central Florida’s Coliseum of Comics) – Repeat Customers & Crossing Over: Comics + Games
• Gary Dills (Virginia & Ohio’s Phoenix Comics / Laughing Ogre) – Fixed Costs & Repeat Customers
• Steve Ellis (Aloha, OR’s Rainy Day Games) – Retail Web 2.0
• Aaron Haaland (Orlando, FL’s A Comic Shop) – Retail Web 2.0
• Daniel McAbee (Spartanburg, SC’s The Tangled Web) – ComicSuite & Building a Better Retail Website
• Chris Powell (Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX’s Lone Star Comics) – Building a Better Retail Website
• Henry Scagnoli (Massachusetts’s New England Comics) – Fixed Costs
• David Wheeler (Austin, TX’s Dragon’s Lair) – Crossing Over: Comics + Games
• Alayne Lewis (Orlando, FL’s Barr Display) – Fixed Costs
In addition, Diamond’s Outside Sales Managers – David Hawksworth, Eric Hitchcock & Tim Kartman encouraged retailers to “Steal These Ideas” as they presented over 100 promotions your peers have already utilized to build business and boost profits.
“I think the [Fixed Costs: Upgrading Your Merchandising Displays] was a great seminar,” said Lena Olsen of Little Shop of Comics & Cards in Scotch Plains, NJ. “It explained how you can better organize your store, keeping things neat and appealing for customers coming in. That was helpful.”
“I thought the [Crossing Over: Becoming a Comics & Games Shop] workshop was a really good mix of ideas and practical advice and tips,” said Ernie Pellitier of Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham, MA. “It was good to get other retailers’ opinions on what works in their stores and what they think might work well going forward.”
But it wasn’t just the Workshop attendees who benefited from the event – the panelists themselves found the experience both rewarding and enlightening.
“It’s always an honor to be asked to participate in a panel, and I always find that while, in theory, I’m at the front of the room, presenting about something that I still love, I find that I take back far more than all the presentations that I can possibly do.” said New England Comics’ Henry Scagnoli. “Interacting with such great retailers is an honor and something that I look forward to every year.”
“Being a panelist at the Diamond/Alliance Summit is always a great experience,” added Gary Dills of Phoenix Comics/Laughing Ogre. “Having a chance to share and learn from my fellow retailers is always beneficial. Having these opportunities are too infrequent, so taking advantage of the time we have is always paramount.”
Diamond and Alliance would like to thank all of the Workshop panelists who volunteered their time and energy to make the Summit the most valuable experience possible for attendees.
Retailers who were unable to atend the Summit can also download special handouts and workshop instructions by clicking on hyperlinks beneath the images below.
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